April 2012 MMA News Archive - Page 2

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"Benson Henderson's first defense of the UFC lightweight belt is likely to take place in Denver.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed with sources close to the event that Henderson and former champ Frankie Edgar have verbally agreed to meet at UFC 150, which is expected to take place on Aug. 11.
Edgar (14-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC), of course, surrendered the belt to Henderson (16-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at this past February's UFC 144 event."

Dennis Hallman (51-14-2 MMA, 4-5 UFC) and Thiago Tavares (17-4-1 MMA, 7-4-1 UFC) have been added to a new UFC pay-per-view event.
The lightweights are set to meet at the yet-unannounced UFC 150, which is targeted for Aug. 11. Sherdog.com first reported the matchup, and Tavares confirmed it via Twitter.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) sources say Denver's Pepsi Center may host the fight card, but nothing has been finalized to date.
Hallman most recently appeared at UFC 140, where he quickly submitted hometown hero John Makdessi at the Canadian pay-per-view event. That eased the sting of a first-round TKO at the hands of Brian Ebersole at UFC 133. Still, the 36-year-old has in the midst of a career resurgence with an 8-2 mark over the past five-and-a-half years.
"Superman" was supposed to fight "The Ultimate Fighter 13" winner Tony Ferguson at next weekend's UFC on FOX 3 but was forced to withdraw due to injury. His replacement was Tavares, but then Tavares was forced to withdraw due to injury.
So the UFC has taken the injured and put them together.

A lightweight matchup featuring Anthony Njokuani (15-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) and Paul Taylor (11-6-1 MMA, 4-5 UFC) is set for UFC on FUEL TV 4, sources close to the event today confirmed to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
As previously reported, UFC on FUEL TV 4 takes place July 11 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. Broadcast plans for the event haven't been announced, but main card action airs on FUEL TV.
Fighters Only first reported the bout, which was originally scheduled for UFC 138 before a car accident forced Taylor to withdraw.
Njokuani gets a quick turnaround after an impressive showing at this past weekend's UFC 145. The Las Vegas resident outstruck fellow standup specialist John Makdessi en route to a unanimous decision, which put him back on the right track after a split decision loss to Danny Castillo at UFC 141.

According to a report from respected Brazilian MMA news outlet Tatame, the UFC has found a home for UFC 147 on June 23: Estadio Jornalista Felippe Drummond in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The UFC had originally hoped to book the fight in a Sao Paulo stadium but ran afoul of noise restrictions. Then they planned on Rio de Janeiro but a UN conference that same week threatened to take up too many hotel rooms in the city.
The UFC has already moved the putative headliner between Middleweight champ Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen to UFC 148 in Las Vegas on July 7th. The card is now expected to feature Featherweight champ Jose Aldo defending his title against Erik Koch as the headliner.
Ultimate Fighter Brazil coaches Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort will face off in the co-main event. The card will also feature heavyweights Fabricio Werdum vs. Mike Russow and the Ultimate Fighter Brazil finals in 2 divisions.

Blue-chip sponsor Anheuser-Busch has sent a message that it's keeping an eye on the behavior of UFC fighters outside the cage.
The multi-national brewer, which owns the Bud Light and Bud Light Lime brands prominently advertised in the UFC, reprimanded the fight promotion for a series of sexist and homophobic remarks made by fighters in public and over social media.
"If the incidents continue, we will act," Anheuser-Busch said in a statement prepared for Advertising Age...

UFC welterweight Nick Diaz has filed a lawsuit against the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for alleged violations of statutory law and his Constitutional rights to Due Process.
Diaz, acting through his lawyer Ross C. Goodman, filed it in Nevada on Tuesday, April 24th. Diaz's motion for a preliminary injunction was filed Thursday.
The lawsuit is related to a failed drug test by Diaz that was conducted by the NSAC. It was announced on Feb. 9th the Stockton, Calif. native tested positive for marijuana metabolites from a test administered after his UFC 143 bout with Carlos Condit. He was subsequently given a summary suspension by the NSAC.
The suit is asking the court to immediately stay the summary suspension handed out to Diaz by the NSAC as well as to enjoin the NSAC from going ahead in any further disciplinary proceedings. Diaz's complaint also asks the court to declare his due process rights have been violated by the NSAC's failure to promptly convene a hearing to determine the merits of the disciplinary complaint against him.
Diaz's suit centers on three allegations, two of which relate to statutory complaints for which he seeks injunctive relief -- namely, to have the temporary suspension lifted and to not be required to go any further punitive proceedings. The other allegation focuses on Diaz's due process rights, the NSAC's violation of which entitles Diaz to both injunctive and declaratory relief, according to the lawsuit...

The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board announced Thursday that former UFC fighter Ricardo Almeida will be a judge at next week’s UFC on FOX 3 show in East Rutherford, N.J.
Almeida, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who fought out of the Garden State and had a UFC record of 6-5, will score the co-headliner bout between Johny Hendricks and Josh Koscheck, as well as a main card heavyweight clash between Pat Barry and Lavar Johnson, according to Sherdog.com.
On a pre-fight conference call Thursday, the two co-main event fighters gave their thoughts on the appointment of Almeida, a New York City native who runs a jiu-jitsu school in Hamilton, N.J.

Setup fights can build momentum for the favorite, or they can give an underdog a huge boost.
UFC featherweight Eddie Yagin said he's never been the guy that's supposed to win, so he's learned to relish his role as the spoiler.
"I'm like a wedding crasher – but not," Yagin told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).

Every one of UFC on FUEL TV 2's 24 fighters underwent drug testing at March's UFC on FX 2 event tested clean for performance-enhancing drugs and recreational/drugs of abuse.
UFC vice president of government and regulatory affairs Marc Ratner confirmed the drug-testing results with MMAjunkie.com.
UFC on FUEL TV 2, which is the second of six main-card broadcasts planned for the FOX-owned cable station in 2012, took place April 14 at Stockholm's Ericsson Globe Arena.

The UFC had to abandon plans to book UFC Middleweight champ Anderson Silva defending his title against Chael Sonnen in a Brazilian stadium due to logistical issues involving hotel room shortages due to a UN conference. That might not be such a bad thing, for the UFC security team that is since apparently just bringing Sonnen into the country for a press conference is a serious security challenge.
The wise-cracking Sonnen, who gave Silva the toughest fight of his UFC career at UFC 117, certainly knows how to piss off Brazilian fans. He's made a long series of semi-racist remarks about the alleged primitive state of the country, made endless jokes at the expense of the Nogueira brothers and other Brazilian stars and continues to push his luck at every opportunity.
Sonnen and Silva will now meet in the headliner of UFC 148 in Las Vegas. UFC 147 will remain in Brazil, although the promotion is still working to secure a venue. UFC Featherweight champ Jose Aldo vs. Erik Koch is expected to headline that event with a co-main of Ultimate Fighter Brazil coaches Vitor Belfort vs. Wanderlei Silva.

Bellator Fighting Championships heads back to Canada, as the promotion returns to Casino Rama in Orilla, Ont., on May 4 for Bellator 67.
The night will feature Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler squaring off against 32-win MMA veteran and Japanese sensation Akihiro Gono. Also, a Season 6 welterweight tournament semi-final bout between Ben Saunders and Bryan Baker will take place in addition to the return of Polish heavyweight sensation Damian (The Polish Pitbull) Grabowski and the Bellator debut of Canada’s own Ryan (The Real Deal) Ford.

There has been a bunch of confusion over what is actually going to happen at UFC 147 since Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen was moved off the card. Dana White said at the Brazil press conference that Jose Aldo would "probably" be moved onto the card to defend his UFC featherweight title, as opposed to UFC 149 where he was originally scheduled. But who would he fight? Hatsu Hioki was just booked against Ricardo Lamas. Dustin Poirier vs. Chan Sung Jung is only five weeks before UFC 147 (which is tentatively scheduled for June 23rd in Belo Horizonte, Brazil), so who's left? MMA Weekly has your answer:
Erik Koch looks like the "to be named opponent" for Aldo's next title defense, whenever the UFC decides on a date for the featherweight champion to get back in action.
Sources close to the two fighters confirmed that Koch is the likely candidate to get the shot at Aldo, although bout agreements have not been issued for the 145-pound title fight showdown.

The UFC hasn’t set a time or date for its next set of inductions into the company’s Hall of Fame. But when they get around to it, said company president Dana White, two former champions will likely get a call.
During a lunch gathering at The Palm restaurant, White said two fighters coming close to the end of the line, former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz and multi-weight class champ B.J. Penn, belong in the Hall of Fame.
"Despite my personal problems with Tito, he belongs in," said White. "He was the champion when we first bought this thing. The fact that Tito is still here, Tito and I have had our moments, but it doesn’t change what he did for the company."
Penn is one of just two fighters to win titles in multiple weight classes. In 2004, the natural lightweight went up to welterweight and submitted Matt Hughes to claim the crown, ending Hughes’ 13-fight win streak. In 2008, he defeated Joe Stevenson for the vacant UFC lightweight title and held the belt for two years.
"Definitely," White said when asked if Penn belongs in the Hall. "The thing about B.J. Penn is that what he brought to the lightweight division, there was a point in time when we first bought this company when people thought guys in the lighter weight divisions couldn’t be stars and couldn’t see pay-per-views and couldn’t cross over. B.J. Penn was definitely that first crossover guy for us."

Maiquel Falcao (30-4 MMA, 2-0 BFC) and Andreas Spang (8-1 MMA, 1-0 BFC) already knew a win in their season-six tournament final would lead to a championship fight.
They just didn't know who would be on the other side of the cage.
As it turns out, with reigning champion Hector Lombard departing for the UFC, Alexander Shlemenko (45-7 MMA, 7-1 BFC) will face the Falcao vs. Spang winner with the vacant middleweight belt on the line.
Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney today announced the plans via Twitter.

UFC officials today confirmed Hioki will meet Ricardo Lamas (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at UFC in FX 4, which takes place takes place June 22 at Revel Atlantic City in Atlantic City, N.J. The night's main card airs on FX, and FUEL TV is expected to carry the prelims.
"Many pegged Hioki as the next possible challenger for Jose Aldo's title, but he wants one more test before going for the belt," White said. "In his way is Lamas, who has proven to be a tough competitor for anyone to deal with, especially since moving down to featherweight and finishing both opponents at 145 pounds. Both guys have verbally agreed to the match."

When former two-time UFC World Heavyweight Champion Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia (30-7, 19 KO’s, 4 submissions) fights in his home state for the first time, he will be faced with a tough challenge in Randy “The Wolf” Smith (14-10-1). The Sylvia-Smith heavyweight battle has been officially signed to headline New England Fights’ (NEF) Fight Night III on June 16th at The Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White, who was airborne for most of the day on Tuesday (April 24, 2012) after rearranging the UFC 148 fight card in Brazil, was unable to keep score in the Alistair Overeem vs. Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) hearing.
Until he appeared on The Jim Rome Show later in the day.
That's where the Las Vegas fight boss first learned that "Demolition Man" had been denied a license to fight in "Sin City" for nine months, keeping him out of action until (at least) Dec. 27 of this year.
As you can imagine, it went over like a lead balloon.
"I wasn't very optimistic about his chances. I didn't think things were gonna turn out very well for him, as expected. Nine months? That's not as bad as I thought it was gonna be. I thought he'd get a year, easily a year. Here's the rules: If he was on anti-inflammatory meds and whatever the deal was, you're supposed to disclose that to the commission before you get any drug tests. Whatever medicine you're on, you're supposed to tell them before you test, not after you test. I'm not a fan. I'm not a fan at all. You're not going to hear me defending Alistair Overeem on your radio show. We'll see what happens. He claimed he was on anti-inflammatories which he should have told them before he tested. I know he lied to me. I don't like it. If they'll sit in front of you and lie to your face, I don't know, not the type of guys I wanna do business with."

Two-time UFC veteran Junior Assuncao (13-5) has signed a multi-fight deal with the Texas-based Legacy Fighting Championship organization.
Assuncao is expected to make his promotional debut at Legacy Fighting Championship 12 on July 13 against an opponent yet to be determined.
Legacy Fighting Championships 12, which is also expected to feature Robert Drysdale vs. Isaac "Ike" Villanueva, takes place at Houston's Arena Theater. Longtime vet Jay Hieron is also expected to compete at the event, which airs live on HDNet

Chuck Liddell was one of the greatest champions in the history of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As the 205-pound strap owner, he defended his belt four consecutive times, during a two-plus year period where he went undefeated.
"The Iceman" was a pioneer, who held a cult-like following of mixed martial arts (MMA) fans who swore by his legend. Some of them even cut their hair like him, mimicking his trademark mohawk.
But "Father Time" caught up with Liddell, as he does, ever so cruelly, with us all.
During a three-year stretch, Liddell painfully dropped five of his last six fights; four of which came by way of (technical) knockout. It was hard to watch, and when UFC President Dana White finally forced him to hang up the eight-ounce gloves, there were few who objected to the decision.
Liddell recently did an interview with "UFC Tonight," where he discussed that decision, as well as what life is like for him after professional fighting. He's comfortable being a father, a businessman and a fight fan. He's in no hurry to step back into the Octagon, but there is one fight he'd seriously consider coming out of retirement for.
The answer may surprise you:
"The only thing that would even make me think about it is if they gave me a shot at the title. So, we'll see. For now? Yeah. Jon Jones. I don't wanna come back as a sideshow. It's just one of those things. It's not something I wanna do."
Liddell went on to comment about "Bones" and the current tear he's been on, as he continues to carve notches into his belt for every big name he puts down in the Light Heavyweight division.
Chuck was highly complimentary, but he was honest about the possibility of Jones eventually meeting his match:
"I'll never say never. Not in this sport. Anybody can lose at any time. If he keeps doing what he does, he's gonna be hard to beat if he keeps doing what he's doing. He follows his game plan. He trains hard. He keeps learning. He's young and he's athletic and a great athlete. He's a great guy. He's gonna be hard to beat, but I'm never gonna say no one's gonna beat him."